Win earns colt Stakes Final start

Press, 6 October 1988, Page 42

Win earns colt Stakes Final start

By

JEFF SCOTT

Motu Mister Smooth backed up his outstanding second in the opening Liquorland Sires’ Stakes heat at Ashburton last Saturday, with a decisive victory in the Canterbury Park heat at Addington Raceway last evening.

Beginning smartly from the five barrier, Motu Mister Smooth was parked for much of the running. In normal circumstances such a position would see him disadvantaged, but as it turned out it was the best place to be. The leaders bettered even time for the opening quarter in 29.2, then steadied over the middle half in 64.6. The speed was only really on over the closing quarter in 28.8 where Motu Mister Smooth was ideally poised to hit home the advantage. The over-all time was a disappointing 2:2.05. But it was all that was needed to guarantee the classy Smooth Fella colt a start in the $150,000 Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington next month. “He’s a brilliant horse — he can run a half mile in 55,” said Motu Mister Smooth’s delighted trainer, Barry Woodfield. Woodfield, originally from Blenheim, moved to East Eyreton last year to take up a position as private trainer of stock owned by George Timperley. Motu Mister Smooth, the fifth foal of Mr Timperley’s former smart race mare, Motu Princess, showed promise last term running second twice in six outings, including a second to Tight Connection at Cambridge when trained briefly by Ma-

tangi’s Colin Butler. "We sent him north for a bit of experience, I only work horses on their own,” said Woodfield. This was his first winning run last evening. Motu Mister Smooth comes from the bigwinning Air Mail branch of the Sungod family. His dam is a half-sister to a New Zealand Derby winner, Motu Prince, and to other smart winners in Hurricane Kiwi and Kiwi Guy, while another halfsister has left the recent North Island winner, Cacao. Their dam, Cirrus, is a former Southland “Broodmare of Year," while a half-sister to Cirrus, Kiwi Direct, left the open-class pacer, Direct Kiwi, and the dam of last term’s good three-year-old pacer, Kiwi Supreme. Torch Song, which tracked Motu Mister Smooth until the straight, ran on solidly for second, with Unique Blue Chip, which followed Torch Song to the straight, a nose back third. Star Kingdom, which led at the 900 m, was out back to fourth. Twinkle John impressive Despite being caught on the wrong foot at the start and losing valuable ground early, Twinkle John blitzed his rivals by eight and a half lengths in the CO-C 1 Merivale Menswear Pace for four-

year-olds. The four-year-old Transport Chip gelding paced the 2600 m from a stand in a sharp 3:22.23, being timed over his last 2400 m in slashing 3:1.5 and his last 800 m in 59.4 “He’s only been off the property four times,” said Twinkle John’s breeder and reinsman, Bob Cameron, who had also won the previous race with Motu Mister Smooth.

Raced by a friend of Cameron’s, Bernie Wilks (a part-owner of former star young trotter, Wedgewood), Twinkle John, a convincing maiden winner at Methven in his only previous totalisator start, is likely to try for his third win on end in a $12,000 Cl and faster age group race at Addington on October 21. Twinkle John is from an unraced daughter of Main Adios, Twinkle Estella. This is the same family that produced Cameron’s big winner of the 19605, Twinkle Hanover. Western Storm, which led until surrendering the lead to Twinkle John at the 600 m, was unchallenged for second, being six and three-quarter lengths clear of the thirdplaced Precious Wave. Western Storm was credited with a placed time of 3:23.9 for second. Favourite wins Swinging Billy, which

won narrowly but well in the opening event, will be chasing one more win at the upcoming two-night Canterbury Park meeting to qualify for the C 4 and faster trots at the New Zealand Cup meeting next month. Previously the intermediate trots were for C 3 and faster, but due to weight of numbers in the C 4 grade, events on Cup Day and Show Day have been tightened. A short-priced favourite after some impressive efforts at trials, Swinging Billy was three and four wide as he improved over the last 1200 m, but found enough to score by half a neck. The Game Way gelding returned 3:26.65 for the 2600 m, being timed over his last 2000 m in a smart 2:32.7, his closing mile in 2:2.2 and final 800 m in 58.8. “I didn’t want him to have a hard run first-up, but it didn’t work out that way when he was pushed out four wide with a lap to run,” said Swinging Billy’s Weedons trainer, Grant Hunt. “We’re not going to race him much this season. He’s a young horse and we don’t want him taking on the good ones too early,” added Hunt of the promising four-year-old which was recording his fifth win, from 16 career outings, last evening.